- Jordan wins House GOP minority leader race
Source: Axios
“House Republicans elected Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as their new leader Tuesday, handing the reins of the battered GOP conference to one of its most prominent conservative [sic] firebrands. Jordan’s victory marks a major shake-up in House Republican leadership, elevating a founding member of the hardline Freedom Caucus who campaigned as an alternative to the leaders who presided over the GOP’s crushing midterm defeat. … Jordan’s victory signals an appetite among House Republicans for a more confrontational approach as they prepare to enter the minority.” (11/10/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/11/10/jim-jordan-house-republicans-leadership-elections-scalise
- Annual Fundraiser Update: Holiday, But We’re Here Anyway
Hey, everyone …
It’s “Veterans Day” in the US and variations thereof (some more appropriate, such as “Armistice” or “Remembrance” Day) in many other countries — but we’ve still got a full edition for you today. You’re welcome!
I kind of thought my 60th birthday appeal yesterday might bring a few bucks in for our annual fundraiser, but nope. It was a “zero dollar day.” Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll eat some worms.* Our total remains, as of 5am, at $1,287. So:
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
Our goal is $5,503. Once we’ve raised the first half, supporter GL has pledged to “match funds” for the second half — and hitting the goal means I get to stop bellyaching about money for the rest of 2026 and most of 2027.
Have a great day … after you click on that link, of course.
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily* The zero-dollar day notwithstanding, I had a happy but semi-relaxed (no day off work!) birthday including a short motorcycle ride and tacos for lunch. In my family, we do a meal out together on the weekend to celebrate a birthday, so I’m looking forward to Chinese buffet food on Saturday.
- Dog bites man: House Republicans publicly defile themselves to protect Hegseth
Source: The Hill
“House Republicans on Tuesday shelved a measure spearheaded by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would have led to a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In a dramatic and tight 211-204 vote, the House voted to refer the resolution to committee, a move that essentially ends efforts to impeach Hegseth over the Iran war and other issues until the next Congress, when Democrats will hold large majorities in the House and Senate. … Massie [accurately] accused Hegseth of violating the Constitution and other laws during U.S. military operations in Yemen, Iran, the Caribbean, the Eastern Pacific and with the military operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his country at the beginning of the year. … ‘We’re not indicting him for being bad at his job. In fact, he was very effective at killing schoolchildren in Iran; he was very effective at extrajudicial killings,’ Massie said during a Monday press conference.” (11/10/26)
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6212136-house-shelves-hegseth-impeachment
- Ukrainian strikes hit Russian oil port as Abu Dhabi talks enter day two
Source: Yahoo! News
“Ukraine has attacked several targets in Russia ahead of Wednesday’s second day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Moscow and Kiev, mediated by the United States. The governor of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, said on Telegram that 150 Ukrainian drones had been repelled overnight. The target was the Baltic Sea area where the Russian oil and gas port of Ust-Luga is located, he said. Three workers were injured and a fire broke out, he added. … The attacks once again affected operations at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, the state-run Russian news agency TASS reported. More than 40 flights were delayed.” (11/11/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/ukraine-hits-russian-oil-port-090326865.html
- US inflation rises more than expected for third straight month
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser
“U.S. consumer prices increased more than expected in October amid higher costs for food and accommodation, cementing expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month. The Consumer Price Index report from the Labor Department today also showed a strong buildup of underlying inflation pressures for a third straight month. It followed data last week showing the labor market regained momentum in October. … The CPI increased 0.4% last month after advancing 0.6% in September, the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said. It was the third consecutive month of gains of 0.4% or more. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the CPI would climb 0.3% over the month.” (11/10/26)
- UK: US Army Member Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Source: New York Times
“Britain’s counterterrorism police said on Tuesday that they had arrested a member of the U.S. Army on suspicion of spying on behalf of Russia after a joint investigation with the F.B.I. and U.S. military intelligence. The 41-year-old man was arrested near Gloucester, England, about 100 miles west of London, and was in custody pending possible charges, officials said. Officials did not name the man but said in a statement that he had been detained on suspicion of violating Section 1 and Section 3 of Britain’s National Security Act 2023. Those sections relate to obtaining or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service. … In the statement on Tuesday, the police said the arrest of the U.S. Army member on suspicion of espionage was ‘not linked to any other ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing investigations.'” (11/10/26)
- US regime charges three with plotting terror attacks
Source: Terre Haute Tribune-Star
“Three men, including one already jailed in the United States, were accused by U.S. authorities Tuesday of being Iran-supported operatives who plotted nearly 20 attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the U.S. as well as a planned assault on a British airbase used by the U.S. Air Force. Charges against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national, were outlined in a superseding indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court. Only al-Saadi is in custody.” (11/10/26)
- Saudi Arabia: Regime Sentences Mother to 100 Lashes for Birth Outside Marriage
Source: New York Times
“A Saudi court has sentenced a domestic worker from Kenya to 100 lashes for giving birth outside marriage. The ruling, issued last month, shows the limits of a decade of social and legal reforms in a kingdom where women can be jailed and punished for ‘illegal pregnancy.’ The sentence is a harsh turn in what has been a terrifying ordeal for a mother who has tried for more than a year to return to Kenya with her child but has been blocked at every turn. The mother, Esther Wanja Muthoni, is one of thousands of East African domestic workers who were recruited to work as housekeepers and nannies in Saudi Arabia. … Ms. Muthoni was working legally as a domestic worker through Maharah Human Resources, a Saudi corporation, when she became pregnant during a brief relationship with an Egyptian resident of the kingdom.” (11/10/26)
- Reports: US regime withdraws military aircraft from second UK airbase after Iran threat
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“The United States has withdrawn military aircraft from a second British airbase following a threat from Iran, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing people familiar with events. A number of American refuelling tankers were evacuated on Monday from Mildenhall Royal Air Force (RAF) base in eastern England after the purported threat, the newspaper said. Sky News said on Tuesday that 12 aircraft – nine tankers and three Osprey transporters – left Mildenhall on Monday, citing flight tracking sources. The WSJ noted ‘the precise nature’ of the Iranian threat remained ‘under discussion’ among US officials.” (11/10/26)
- AK: Peltola inches further ahead of Sullivan in Senate race
Source: Seattle Times
“Democrat Mary Peltola inched further ahead of Republican U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan in the Senate race on Monday after another small batch of preliminary election results was released by the Alaska Division of Elections. … With the new numbers, Peltola, a former U.S. representative, has grown her lead over Sullivan, a two-term Republican incumbent, to 2,517 first-choice votes, reflecting about 1.1% of the vote. Peltola previously held a lead of just 637 votes, or 0.3%. … Under ranked choice tabulation in races with more than two candidates, if no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, then the candidate who received the fewest votes is eliminated. Their supporters’ votes are then redistributed to those voters’ second choices. The process continues until one of the candidates has received more than 50% of the vote.” (11/10/26)
- Board of Peace: Israel’s aid response after Gaza floods “insufficent”
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has called on Israel to immediately allow all necessary humanitarian supplies into Gaza after rain flooded tens of thousands of tents. The US-backed body, established to oversee the implementation of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, acknowledged the steps now being considered by Israel, but said ‘the response remains insufficient’. Israel’s military agency in charge of coordinating aid into Gaza said it had allowed in tens of thousands of tents and trucks with winter supplies, but added reconstruction ‘can only begin after Hamas fully disarms’. On Sunday, three children and a woman were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto tents in the central Strip. Most people in Gaza have been displaced because of Israel’s military actions. Around 65% of the population, about 1.4 million people, now live in tents or makeshift shelters, the UN says.” (11/10/26)
- UK: Regime launches investigation into potential Autumn Budget leak
Source: Independent [UK]
“Britain’s Government Security Group (GSG) has launched an investigation into a potential leak of Budget measures, which may have moved financial markets. It comes after a Bloomberg article published before the Autumn Budget on October 28 contained accurate details of planned changes to bank taxes. … The Treasury Committee said in a statement on Tuesday that a probe in the Cabinet Office is underway, despite assurance that no banks, their representatives or their trade bodies were briefed by the Treasury on the details of the Budget.” (11/10/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-budget-2026-leak-investigation-b3082531.html
- Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
Source: SFGate
“A third-grade field trip to the Navajo Nation Council sparked Crystalyne Curley’s political ambition when she witnessed a fiery debate erupt between two tribal lawmakers. … On Election Day, Curley surpassed that childhood dream and broke a barrier she says she never imagined as a nine-year-old: She was elected the first woman president of the Navajo Nation. This week’s elections brought a wave of milestone victories, from the nation’s first [b]lack female governor to the first openly gay man and first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. It also marked a turning point for Native American women, whose leadership in their families and communities has rarely translated to formal political power. Peggy Flanagan became the first Native American woman elected to the Senate, Deb Haaland the first to win a state governorship, and Curley the first to lead one of the largest tribes.” (11/10/26)
- Nvidia sued over Jensen Huang’s alleged spy affair
Source: Politico
“Nvidia was hit with a shareholder lawsuit Monday after its stock price tanked 5 percent amid reports CEO Jensen Huang had an affair with an alleged Chinese spy. The lawsuit claims Huang’s failure to disclose the affair artificially inflated share prices, possibly violating federal securities laws. The lawsuit also contends the national security concerns raised by the allegations present a material risk to the company’s reputation and future business prospects. … The litigation is the latest turn of events for Nvidia and Huang, who are facing new scrutiny in Washington surrounding the CEO’s involvement with Alice Huang, a businessperson associated with Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed.” (11/10/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/09/nvidia-sued-jensen-huang-alleged-spy-affair-01157660
- CA: Police investigate after 27 fall ill at half-marathon running event
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Police in Santa Barbara, California, are investigating after nearly 30 people had to seek medical care at a half-marathon running event held in the city on Sunday. In a statement provided to the BBC’s US partner CBS News, officers said they received a report from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital about race participants who sought medical treatment for ‘unusual symptoms’ after the race ended. ‘The cause of the reported symptoms has not been confirmed,’ the statement added. Cottage Health, which operates the hospital, told CBS it had seen ‘a larger than expected number of emergency visits’ from those who ran the race. ‘There is no specific action recommended for the public at this time; however, participants who feel unwell should seek medical attention and follow guidance from healthcare professionals,’ police said.” (11/10/26)
- Myanmar: Junta forces seize key resistance HQ and bases held by opposition, regime media says
Source: ABC News
“Myanmar’s military has seized a key resistance military command headquarters and 10 other bases in the south of the country, state media reported Tuesday, marking a new gain by the army in the civil war as it seeks control of regions long held by resistance forces. The capture of the bases in the jungle along the border between Mon state and the Bago region marks the latest setback suffered by pro-democracy armed groups and ethnic militias fighting the army. The reported capture could not be independently confirmed because the military does not allow journalists free access to the area, but the claim has not been challenged.” (11/10/26)
- Report: US federal authorities could have prevented Epstein crimes
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Crimes committed by the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after 2005 could have been prevented were it not for ‘failures’ by federal investigators and prosecutors, a congressional investigation has concluded. The Republican-led US House Oversight Committee on Tuesday released its final report into what it described as the ‘decades-long’ mishandling of the criminal investigations into Epstein and his long-term associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The report’s findings are based on interviews and depositions with witnesses, government files, and financial records over a 15-month period. Epstein died in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. ‘While some of these failures involved an exercise in poor judgement by the USAO, others appeared to be the result of Epstein’s pervasive and wide-reaching influence,’ the report reads, referring to the US Attorney’s Office.” (11/10/26)
- US gas prices fall below $4 per gallon for the first time since July
Source: NBC News
“The average nationwide price for regular gasoline Tuesday fell below $4 per gallon for the first time since July 20, according to data from motor club AAA. The drop comes as oil prices have plunged, with President Donald Trump repeatedly playing down the prospect of renewed strikes on Iran, and pushing for progress between Russia and Ukraine in new trilateral talks. Still, gas prices remain elevated by more than 30% since Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the Iran war Feb. 28, and around 40% since the beginning of the year.” (11/10/26)
- Israel: Eisenkot unveils agenda to reverse Netanyahu’s policies as new parliament is sworn in
Source: SFGate
“Gadi Eisenkot, the politician tasked with forming a new Israeli government, pledged on Tuesday to reverse many of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies as the new parliament was sworn in. The pledge sets the stage for a consequential month of legislative action and coalition negotiations. Eisenkot, a former military chief, has up to six weeks to form a government that would end the tenure of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. While it remains unclear whether Eisenkot will be able to forge a coalition government, the new Knesset can enact legislation in the meantime. Netanyahu’s opponents now control a solid majority in parliament. Eisenkot’s bloc introduced a series of bills at the start of the legislative session that target Netanyahu and his policies.” (11/10/26)
- Palestine: Israeli forces murder 14-year-old in occupied West Bank
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Israeli forces have shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy and wounded two other teens during a raid on the village of Burqa in the occupied West Bank, according to officials. The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the victim on Tuesday as Moataz Iyad Daghlas and said Israeli authorities were withholding his body. … The Israeli military confirmed the shooting in Burqa, which is located near the city of Nablus. In a statement, the military said soldiers opened fire to prevent Palestinians from throwing stones at Israeli vehicles.” (11/10/26)
- Supreme Court’s Viramontes Is Not Moot
Source: Independent Institute
by Stephen P Halbrook“Supreme Court poised to decide a fundamental issue at the heart of the Second Amendment.” (11/10/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/11/10/supreme-courts-viramontes/
- The Democrat Leadership Fights Are Missing Something
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen“With the future Democratic majority in Congress secured, a lot of activist energy has turned to who the leaders will be in the House and Senate. Reportedly, congressional offices are getting hundreds of calls a day rejecting Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker and Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader. It is next to impossible to influence an insider contest, particularly in the Senate where the leadership vote will never be public. The ferocity of the attempt signals the Democratic base’s discontent with the party. But the focus on individual leaders, carrying with it the assumption that leaders unilaterally determine the direction of the party, is in large part the real problem. Let’s separate the two leadership fights, because they are very different.” (11/11/26)
- Betraying America’s Military and the Constitution They Swore to Defend
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead“Donald Trump and his administration have done a grave disservice to America’s military. By politicizing the military, sending service members into wars of questionable legality, attempting to use military forces against American citizens, and seeking to punish veterans who exercise their constitutional rights, the Trump administration has attempted to turn the U.S. military into its own guns-for-hire battalion. This is not how you honor America’s military. Pete Hegseth has done an even graver disservice to the men and women who serve. Having called for a ‘warrior ethos’ that celebrates aggression, lethality and an unquestioning commitment to warfighting, the self-styled Secretary of War has repeatedly demonstrated a troubling disregard for the constitutional safeguards meant to govern the military’s use of force. Consider his record.” (11/10/26)
- Will Republicans Learn Their Lesson From the “Disastrous” Midterms?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ron Paul“Politicians break campaign promises with hardly any hesitation and usually they get away with it. Americans have come to put up with broken promises for so long, they hardly even seem to notice. Last week, however, voters noticed. They showed the Republican party just how angry they were over President Trump’s decision to attack Iran and how angry they were with Congress for abandoning its Constitutional authority over matters of war and peace. … Has the Republican party gotten the message? Have they learned the lesson voters can deliver when they finally have had enough of being lied to?” (11/10/26)
- The Paradox of Digital Security: When Surveillance Creates the Insecurity It Claims to Solve
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Luc Lelièvre“Digital surveillance promises to make institutions more secure by enabling them to see more. Automated license-plate readers, facial recognition systems, and interconnected databases allow authorities to identify patterns and retrieve information at speeds once considered impossible. Yet greater capacity to detect and classify does not necessarily improve the ability to determine what happened. An institution may acquire more information without gaining the ability to interpret it accurately. The distinction matters because surveillance does more than collect information. Its outputs can initiate investigations, influence decisions, and authorize interventions that affect people who have little control over how the information is interpreted. The central problem is not merely that surveillance systems sometimes make mistakes. Rather, an institution can transform an uncertain indication into an apparently established fact through the very procedures the indication sets in motion.” (11/10/26)
- They Want To Use AI To Re-Centralize Control Of Information
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“I keep thinking about a talk I listened to by Julian Assange back in 2017 where he warned that one day AI could be used to facilitate the propaganda interests of the powerful by manipulating news media and information in ways that are too subtle for the human mind to notice. Assange described a future where AI-powered algorithms serve us a customized feed of information based on data collected about our search queries and interests, calculated to appeal to our biases and construct a worldview for us which advances the agendas of those who control the machines. He explained that sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence systems could arrange this information with more subtlety and complexity than human perception can pick up on, in much the same way a computer can outperform any human brain at a game of chess.” (11/10/26)
- Time and Time Again: Stop The Nonsense!
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“Various polls show the public broadly in support of ending the ‘spring forward / fall back’ nonsense, but not necessarily in agreement on whether the standard should be ‘Standard Time’ or ‘Daylight Saving Time.’ I’ve seen good arguments from both sides. My own position is: Pick one and make it happen. For whatever reason, such measures always seem to bog down in Congress. Unable to decide which direction to go in, they always end up punting and putting us through another year of those annoying clock changes. There’s a third way for Congress to go about exercising its Article 1, Section 8 power to ‘fix the standard of weights and measures’ that’s simple and sensible.” (11/10/26)
- Immigration Was Another Reason for the Republican Massacre
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“In the aftermath of the midterm elections, while virtually all of the focus is on the Iran war and soaring prices, we mustn’t forget that immigration was another major reason for the political massacre of Republican candidates at the hands of the Democrats. Specifically, after overwhelmingly going for Trump just two years ago in the 2024 presidential election, Hispanics switched course in the midterms and returned to the Democrats. … as I have been emphasizing for 36 years here at The Future of Freedom Foundation, there is one — and only one — solution to the decades-old, ongoing, never-ending immigration morass. That solution is open borders — the abolition of ICE, the Border Patrol, and all restrictions on the free movements of people across the U.S.-Mexico border and, more generally, into and out of the United States.” (11/10/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/11/10/immigration-was-another-reason-for-the-republican-massacre/
- Mullin’ Over the Separation of Powers, Justice Jackson Again Stands Alone
Source: Jonathan Turley Blog
by Jonathan Turley“In Mullin v. Friends of Ruidosa Church, the Supreme Court just lifted the injunction on the Administration’s effort to go forward with the completion of a border wall through the Big Bend region of West Texas. The issue should not be the policy merits. There are good-faith arguments against the wall in such areas. Indeed, outgoing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) wrote an op-ed against the project. However, the sole question before the Court was the authority of a president to order the construction and use of statutory waivers to do so. Eight out of nine justices voted that ‘the Government is exceedingly likely to prevail on its argument that the District Court lacked jurisdiction.’ Once again, the sole holdout was Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who did not explain her position.” (11/10/26)
- You Bought a Movie. Do You Own It?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Breanna McBride“Imagine buying George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm on your Kindle, only for Amazon to reach into your device and remove the two classic novels. It sounds unsettling, but it happened in 2009 when a third-party seller lost the rights to distribute the books. Customers got their money back, and Amazon acknowledged that it had handled the situation poorly. But the incident raised a troubling question: what does it actually mean to own something in the digital marketplace?” (11/10/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/you-bought-a-movie-do-you-own-it/
- A Bad Day at SCOTUS for Government Accountability
Source: Reason
by Damon Root“Thanks to a series of recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, it has become exceptionally difficult to sue a federal officer in federal court over an alleged constitutional rights violation. Yesterday, the justices heard oral arguments in a case that could further insulate federal officials from facing any civil liability for their misdeeds.” (11/10/26)
https://reason.com/2026/11/10/a-bad-day-at-scotus-for-government-accountability/
- Globally, voters seek consensus, coalition building
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“In the space of just two weeks, at least six nations around the globe have held consequential national or local elections. Voters in only two countries returned decisive leadership preferences. On Oct. 25, Brazilians elected their incumbent president to an unprecedented fourth term, and Serbia’s student-led movement won enough Assembly seats to end 12 years of rule by an autocrat. Elsewhere, voting tallies transmitted less clear-cut and more complex messages. None of the traditional parties or blocs won sufficient votes to form a national government in New Zealand or Israel, or to administer most major municipalities in South Africa. In the United States, Democrats gained congressional and state seats. But their majorities in Washington are not sufficient to withstand obstruction or vetoes from a Republican-led presidency. On one level, these results might seem like a recipe for legislative inertia and policy stagnation.” (11/09/26)
- Do Not Wish Democrats Dead
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter“I know the difficulty some people will have with that title. Not the words, but the doing it. Watching these leftists promise to ‘investigate’, toss in prison or simply execute anyone in the Trump administration or Elon Musk is a lot like being in Germany in the early 1930s: you hear the words but simply can’t believe they mean the words. You assume they’re just being hyperbolic; saying things for effect. They are not, they mean it. Many of these new Members of Congress, and a huge number of the people who put them there, would happily take you out. They say it, they scream it, but if you repeat it back to them, you will be cancelled. ” (11/10/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/11/10/do-not-wish-democrats-dead-n2686176
- Measure the crime, Alaska: Seizing a plane over a six-pack defies logic
Source: The Hill
by Brian Daniel Mounce“On the runway in Fairbanks, Ken Jouppi was loading his Cessna for a short hop to Beaver, Alaska, a village of a few dozen folks on the banks of the Yukon. His passenger was flying out to see her husband for her birthday, and she’d packed some beer in with the groceries. Troopers showed up with a warrant before the plane ever left the ground. Some of you might be thinking, yikes, is Jouppi another Andrew Carter Thornton II? ‘Cocaine Bear,’ the sequel? Nope. Beaver’s a dry town. Not the weather, the beer. Bringing alcohol into Beaver’s a crime, and he and his passenger were both convicted of a misdemeanor. Three days in jail apiece and a $1,500 fine, as low as the law goes. But then Alaska did something extraordinary: It took Jouppi’s plane.” (11/10/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/6208602-supreme-court-ken-jouppi-plane/
- The Midterms: An Autopsy
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson“In the 126 years since 1900, nearly 90 percent of the midterm elections have led to the party in the Oval Office losing House seats, and two-thirds of those same elections have led to it losing Senate seats. Given this history, midterm losses of some sort in 2026 were almost a sure bet. But what ensued in November went well beyond all normal expectations. When all the votes are tabulated, the current blue wave may match the massive midterm losses that buried Bill Clinton in 1994 and Barack Obama in 2010. First, what does this massive 2026 slapdown now portend? A second-term president in his final two years, facing a euphoric and frenzied opposition Congress, emboldened by a landslide, will have difficulty confirming federal judges or cabinet members. Most presidents in that dire situation try to rush through confirmations in the brief two remaining months of their lame-duck congressional majorities, not an easy task.” (11/10/26)
- The Cyberpunking of America
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“How the tech broligarchs tried to inflict their dystopian dreams on the rest of us.” (11/10/260
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-cyberpunking-of-america-fixed
- The Dangerous Twilight of Social Democracy
Source: Law & Liberty
by Samuel Gregg“The increasingly wild promises of social democracy are what has led to economic stagnation—not the market.” (11/10/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-dangerous-twilight-of-social-democracy/
- US solar learns to live without China
Source: Semafor
by Tim McDonell“US President Donald Trump may not be a big fan of solar, but it’s the country’s fastest-growing source of power generation. Standing up an independent domestic solar supply chain is critical to the country’s energy security and AI ambitions, and to lowering power prices, especially as Beijing moves to restrict the export of some key solar technologies. But, although it may be wise to raise trade barriers that push more China-affiliated solar components out of the US market, China’s role in global solar supply chains is so pervasive that instantly severing all ties could kill many US solar manufacturing efforts in the crib. Future growth for this industry depends on a more nuanced trade policy that gives US companies the space to benefit from China’s world-leading solar expertise while the next phase of home-grown plants gets built.” (11/10/26)
https://www.semafor.com/article/11/10/2026/us-solar-learns-to-live-without-china
- Ten Reasons Chuck Schumer Should Not Be Senate Majority Leader
Source: Common Dreams
by Medea Benjamin“Democrats have just won back control of Congress, delivering a major rebuke to Donald Trump and his policies. But now comes another critical question: Who should lead the new Democratic majority? Let’s look at the Senate. Chuck Schumer has been in Congress for nearly 46 years—18 in the House and almost 28 in the Senate. He has led Senate Democrats since 2017 and is already declaring that he expects to be reelected majority leader. But the public is clamoring for new leadership. A recent NBC News poll found that just 13% of voters view Schumer favorably! While most sitting senators seem reluctant to oppose him, eight newly elected Democratic senators—Abdul El-Sayed, Peggy Flanagan, Troy Jackson, Juliana Stratton, Adam Hamilton, James Talarico, Chris Pappas, and Annie Andrews—have either openly opposed Chuck Schumer or withheld their support. And there is a possibility that Senator Van Hollen will put his hat in the ring.” (11/10/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/should-chuck-schumer-be-senate-majority-leader
- Spontaneity versus planning
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie“I suggest there is a key difference between left and right politically. The right feels comfortable with spontaneity, thinking that when people make decisions about their lives, the overall order that emerges will be superior to any planned agenda. The left, by contrast, prefers to take society towards preconceived and planned outcomes. The divide between right and left is not mainly about money, class or even the size of the state. It is about order, and where order comes from. The right trusts order that grows. The left trusts order that is made.” (11/10/26)
- New Congress, Same Debt: Our Next Fiscal Crisis Is Already on the Calendar
Source: The Daily Economy
by David Hebert“The IMF is warning heavily indebted governments to act before borrowing costs become unmanageable. With America’s debt ceiling approaching, Congress faces another fiscal showdown.” (11/10/26)
- China’s Road Into Laos
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott“China is increasingly drawing Laos into its orbit through two main strategies: a railway freight line and a joint military air facility. Not going unnoticed among neighboring nations—especially Laos’s close ally Vietnam—the move feeds directly into China’s regional strategy of making mainland Southeast Asia a secure southern flank through close economic ties. In some ways, this is a continuation of a long tradition in the way China views the region. In the imperial era, China treated many of its neighbors as, essentially, vassals.” (11/10/26)
- Hakeem Jeffries Is Not Old, and Chuck Schumer Is Not Done
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher“The clamor to dump the two Democratic leaders after their colossal midterm victories makes no sense.” (11/10/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/11/10/hakeem-jeffries-is-not-old-and-chuck-schumer-is-not-done/
- Data Centers’ Next Big Tax Break Is Splitting Congress
Source: Washington Sun
by Jade Lozada“Across the country, data centers are going up in low-income communities. Fourteen percent of data centers are located within opportunity zones, according to a report from the nonprofit National Community Reinvestment Coalition. Among approved, permitted and under-construction data center projects, 17.3% are in the tax-incentivized zones. In total, 93 proposed data centers and 78 operating data centers are located in an opportunity zone, according to the nonprofit environmental research organization FracTracker Alliance. Data center operators can use opportunity zones to cut down their tax bills like any other business, making the program a potential boon for investors seeking tax benefits to support the industry’s rapid build-out. But political fault lines are emerging over whether data center projects fulfill the purpose of the tax break as investing in opportunity zones becomes more attractive than ever for data center companies.” (11/10/26)
- Voters sent two midterm messages, Dems will only hear one
Source: Fox News
by Riley Gaines“I’ll admit it. Tuesday night was disappointing. I expected Republicans to lose more seats than they flipped. History suggested as much. But I certainly didn’t expect the results to be quite that bad. Still, buried beneath the headlines celebrating Democratic victories was a rather inconvenient development for the political left. Americans may have voted to elect Democrats, but that doesn’t mean they’ve suddenly developed an appetite for the progressive social agenda again. In fact, on one of the most contentious cultural issues of the last several years, voters delivered a remarkably consistent message: Keep men out of women’s sports. In Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska and Washington, voters backed measures protecting female athletic competition on the basis of biological sex. … Yet the same electorate willing to put Democrats in positions of power also voted to reject a central pillar of the modern progressive agenda.” (11/09/26)
- “Junk history” and Swedish neutrality
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Johan Wennstrom“Even Swedes take the wrong lessons from their past, pushing them to make very non-strategic decisions when it comes to NATO and Ukraine today.” (11/10/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/world-war-two-sweden-neutrality/
- The Final Struggle for Equal Recognition
Source: Liberal Currents
by Silvaria Lysandtra Zemaitis“Across the Western world, trans rights are under attack, from bathrooms, to sports, to basic medical care. We treat these attacks one-by-one, talking one day about the inherent privacy of bathroom stalls, the next about bones and muscle growth, the third about the proven safety of hormone therapy. We have missed the forest for the trees. While we talk about legal rights, legal protections, and so forth, there is precious little discussion about what trans politics is about.” (11/10/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-final-struggle-for-equal-recognition/
- “It’s Not My Fault,” Plead Guilty Neocons
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Charles Goyette“In October 2004, the Iraq Survey Group presented its exhaustive report to Congress: Iraq did not possess any stockpiles of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons at the time of the American invasion; its active programs had been destroyed more than a decade earlier, shortly after the 1991 Gulf War. A month later President Bush was reelected, having successfully blamed the deadly fiasco on intelligence failures. Napoleon should have thought of that excuse for his fateful invasion or Russia. The ‘it’s not their fault’ talking point is so sturdy that Trump supporters and neocons are employing it again to disavow the role of the Iran War in one of the biggest electoral wipeouts in American history.” (11/10/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/its-not-my-fault-plead-guilty-neocons
- The Cybertruck era is over, but America’s electric truck experiment isn’t
Source: Grist
by Kate Yoder“Despite recent flops, experts hope the next round of electric pickups will be cheaper — and less polarizing.” (11/10/26)
https://grist.org/culture/tesla-cybertruck-electric-truck-experiment/
- Is diversification the heart of investment?
Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Frank Shostak“According to the MPT [Modern Portfolio Theory] framework, all market participants have the same expectations about future securities’ returns. Yet, if participants are alike in the sense of having homogeneous expectations, then why should there be trade? After all, trade implies the existence of heterogeneous expectations. A buyer expects a rise in the asset price while the seller expects a fall in the price. The MPT framework also implies that market participants have the same knowledge.” (11/10/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/11/is-diversification-the-heart-of-investment-2/
- What Democratic Socialists Can Learn About Endorsing a Presidential Candidate in 2028
Source: In These Times
by David Duhalde“Will there be a socialist presidential standard bearer in 2028? The answer may be coming soon, as every four years, it seems, U.S. presidential candidates announce earlier and earlier. After the Democrats’ drubbing of Republicans in the midterms, attention is turning to the future role of the Left in American politics. With the largest number of socialists entering Congress in U.S. history, and progressives winning up and down the ballot, across the country, a lane is open to vie for the highest office in the country. White House contenders launching sooner than ever was one of the reasons the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) leadership passed a measure at its September 2026 meeting allowing the body to make a presidential endorsement ahead of DSA’s 2027 summer convention.” (11/09/26)
- No, JD Vance Is Not Toast
Source: The American Conservative
by Luke Nicastro“Over at the New York Times last week, the conservative commentator and editor of Compact Matthew Schmitz pronounced Vice President J.D. Vance the ‘biggest loser’ of the midterm elections. Despite the popular endorsement of Vance’s own view of the war—viz., that it was an egregious mistake that should be corrected posthaste—Schmitz found in the blue tsunami only downside for the vice president. ‘J.D. Vance Is Probably Toast,’ ran the headline. … reports of Vance’s political demise are greatly exaggerated. In fact, the further we get from the initial shock and hysteria of the midterm massacre, the better his prospects look.” (11/10/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/no-j-d-vance-is-not-toast/
- The Market Route for a Wealth Tax
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker“While proponents of a wealth tax proved unsuccessful at the polls in their efforts to downsize the billionaires, it seems the financial markets are doing the job for them. The S&P 500 index fell 4.4 percent on Thursday, more than reversing its post-election rally on Wednesday. The NASDAQ dropped 5.5 percent, losing more in one day than what the wealth tax would have taken from the billionaires over 5 years.” (11/10/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/11/10/the-market-route-for-a-wealth-tax/
- Labor Law’s Illiberal Trajectory
Source: Law & Liberty
by Alex MacDonald“Labor law was always in tension with classical liberalism. It doesn’t have to be.” (11/10/26)
- Trump’s Electoral Fraud Claims Are Now Evidence-Proof
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan“Donald Trump has long aspired to build an impregnable edifice. Now, finally, he has done it: He has constructed a narrative of election fraud that’s completely impervious to evidence. On Monday, nearly a week after his party was trounced in the midterms, Trump wrote on Truth Social …. ‘It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!’ Like all of Trump’s allegations about massive voter fraud, this one is baseless. But as a denialist innovation, it’s marvelous. It covers all the scenarios he failed to cover in his previous tales of rigging and cheating. Anytime he loses, no matter the facts or circumstances, he can say the election was stolen.” (11/10/26)
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 11/10/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Dan McAdams: Democrats Win Big — Is Trump’s Impeachment Next?” (11/10/26)
- Trump Watch, 11/10/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Aftermath of the Political Massacre.” (11/10/26)
- Liberty and Finance, 11/10/26
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
“Why Governments Are Preparing For Crisis | Dr. Mark Thornton.” (11/10/26)
- Rising, 11/10/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on former President Joe Biden releasing a memoir, where he goes into detail on his cancer diagnosis and his decision to not run for reelection in 2024.” (11/10/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 11/10/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Hegseth Fires Back At ‘Loser’ Massie.” (11/10/26)
- Capital Record, episode 332
Source: National Review
“What Just Happened with the Election?” (11/10/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/what-just-happened-with-the-election/
- The Marlen-Starr Convo
Source: Bet On It
“If you haven’t heard of data scientist Spencer Marlen-Starr, you should have. He’s a paragon of the intellectual deep dive. Recently, he wrote a diligent dissection of the Caplan-Jones UATX immigration debate, taking the time to speak to both me and Garett. So I decided to do a follow-up conversation with him on immigration, IQ, ancestry, and more.” (11/10/26)
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 11/10/26
Source: The New Republic
“MAGA Fury Erupts as Trump Blurts Out Damning Admission about GOP Loss.” (11/10/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/217799/maga-fury-erupts-trump-blurts-damning-admission-gop-loss
- The Good Fight, 11/10/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Shadi Hamid and Matthew Kaemingk on Whether Democracy Needs Religion.” (11/10/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/shadi-hamid-and-matthew-kaemingk
- Radio Atlantic, 11/09/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Congress vs. Hegseth.” (11/09/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/11/ra-iran-fallout/689349/
- Advisory Opinions, 11/10/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Confirming a Justice Before a Vacancy.” (11/10/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/confirming-a-justice-before-a-vacancy/
- The Chris Hedges Report, 11/09/26
Source: The Chris Hedges Report
“Countering Historical Erasure With Journalism | Chris Hedges in Ottawa.” (11/09/26)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/countering-historical-erasure-with
- Beyond the results: Making sense of the 2026 midterms
Source: Niskanen Center
“Matt Grossmann unpacks the results with John Sides, Keena Lipsitz, and Daron Shaw.” (11/10/26)
https://hypertext.niskanencenter.org/p/dont-miss-our-midterms-debrief-tomorrow
- Exponential View, 11/09/26
Source: Noahpinion
“Noah Smith and Azeem Azhar discuss the AI boom.” (11/09/26)
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/noah-smith-and-azeem-azhar-discuss
- SolutionsWatch, 11/10/26
Source: The Corbett Report
“How to Create A GOOD Think Tank.” (11/10/26)
- Decoding the Midterms
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“Just days after polls close, we will host two conversations on what the electorate actually said and how those answers will influence lawmaking over the next two years.” (11/09/260
- Nonzero, 11/09/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“The Age of Big Math | Robert Wright & Steven Strogatz.” (11/09/26)
- TechTank, season 6, episode 1
Source: Brookings Institution
“Who decides the future of AI?” (11/09/26)
https://shows.acast.com/tech-tank/episodes/who-decides-the-future-of-ai
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 11/09/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Report: US To Extend Israel Military Aid to 2033, Iran Says US ‘Manufacturing Fake News,’ and More.” (11/09/26)
- Reason Roundtable, 11/09/26
Source: Reason
“Thomas Massie Is Right To Impeach Pete Hegseth.” (11/09/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/11/09/thomas-massie-is-right-to-impeach-pete-hegseth/